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2012 SEC Sneak Peek: LSU Tigers
Published 9:39am Tuesday, June 26, 2012“Any time you finish a season on a negative note you return to the opener in the beginning of next season with a real anxious want.”- LSU Coach Les Miles.
Ahhhh, Les Miles. How was the SEC ever interesting without you?
Speaking of LSU, the easiest SEC preview The Outlook may do all year is on the Bengal Tigers. In a short sentence: They are still really good.
In fact, I think it is safe to say that Harvey Updyke has a better chance of being named ‘Horticulturalist of the Year’ by the Opelika-Auburn News than a team other than ‘Bama or LSU has of winning the SEC West.
LSU’s defense is going to be totally disgusting again. It’s a purple and gold pile of sickness that spreads over opposing offenses like the Ebola virus on speed. The offensive line is as big as a Mardi Gras float and runs over defensive linemen like, well, a Mardi Gras float runs over inebriated tourists. Running backs, receivers, heck they even have superstar kickers!
The only chink in LSU’s armor may ironically turn out to be their biggest asset in new quarterback Zach Mettenberger. Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee were manning the QB slot the last few years and the play has been sporadic at best.
Mettenberger comes highly touted from his high school days to his initial time at the University of Georgia to his stint in JUCO and now in Baton Rouge. Some people have even said he is comparable to Cam Newton.
I’ll go on record right now and say Mettenberger will have nowhere near the impact of Cam Newton. (I just want that to be clear.) However, if Mettenberger can just come within 4 yards of his target half the time, he will be a massive upgrade from what was playing QB for LSU recently. In that regard, I do believe Mettenberger will be hugely successful.
For my prediction, I’ll say I like everything about this LSU squad. Superb talent, great fans and an odd, but fun coaching staff. The schedule is not too daunting. They get most tough games in their stadium and the best news is they don’t have to play LSU, right?
Here is my worry and it is something I wrote about in this paper awhile back: National Championship whooping hangover.
LSU was beaten thoroughly right there in their back yard last January. That defeat could light a fire within the team that propels them to a title of their own in 2013. However, we have seen other teams take the same type of pounding and be slow to recover. Georgia in the ‘Blackout Game’, Texas in the BCS title contest and others have had their heads handed to them and have frankly not walked right since. LSU is used to dishing out the beatings not absorbing them so the idea of recovery is foreign to them.
That said, I adore this team and this program. LSU is loaded, fun and interesting. I foresee their moving past the beat down in the bayou and winning the SEC and national championship in 2013.
The Outlook will feature preview columns of each SEC team leading up to the full Sportz Blitz/Outlook 2012 SEC preview in July.
Robinson is a columnist for Sportz Blitz.
